ABSTRACT
India’ defence policy has been the outcome of the interplay of political, economic and technological factors. During the Fifties, India’s defence policy was largely influenced by Nehru’s political outlook and philosophy. The need to develop India economically and industrially called for a foreign policy which would provide an era of peace, free from regional conflicts. The period of British rule in India extended from November 01, 1858, to August 15, 1947—the day of the formal withdrawal of the British from India as a colonial power. During this period, India enjoyed security from internal disorder and external threats/aggression. India’s defence expenditure rose from Rs 16 crore in 1857–1858 to Rs 54.3 crore in 1930–1931. British foreign policy in respect to India was directed to secure alliances and the neutralisation of the border lands and minor states covering every possible land approach to India.
